Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Fishery Program

Image

Photo by WDFW

The 2024 Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Fishery season closed Sept. 25, 2024. For more information, visit Pikeminnow.org.

You can help save salmon and get paid to do it by going fishing! The Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Fishery Program, funded by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), administered by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, and implemented by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is in effect annually on the Columbia and Snake rivers from approximately May through September. Specific dates, times and station locations will be announced and regularly updated on the Pikeminnow website.

Anglers are paid for each Northern Pikeminnow that they catch (from within program boundaries) that is 9 inches or larger in total length, and the more you catch, the higher the reward. In 2024, rewards begin at $6 each for the first 25 Northern Pikeminnow caught during the season. Anglers are paid $8 for each fish they catch from 26-200, and $10 for every fish caught over 200 cumulatively. Anglers are also paid $500 for each specially tagged Northern Pikeminnow.

The Pikeminnow Program is in effect on the mainstem Columbia River from the mouth to Priest Rapids Dam (upstream of the Washington's Tri-Cities) and on the Snake River from the mouth to Hell’s Canyon Dam. 

Northern Pikeminnow are a native species that eats millions of juvenile salmon and steelhead each year in the Columbia and Snake River systems. The goal of the Pikeminnow Program is not to eradicate Northern Pikeminnow, but rather to reduce their average size by removing 10 to 20% of the larger fish from their population. Reducing the number of larger Northern Pikeminnow and thus shrinking the average-sized fish in the population can greatly help juvenile salmon and steelhead make it to sea, since smaller sized Northern Pikeminnow eat fewer smolts than larger fish.

Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Fishery 2024 season recap

During the 2024 season, the program reached its goal of removing 10 to 20% of the largest pikeminnow from their population. In total, 12,160 registered angler efforts resulted in 176,420 qualifying northern pikeminnow being caught, with an average daily catch per angler of 14.5. The top-twenty anglers caught an average of 4,514 fish per angler and averaged reward payments of $45,405 each for the five-month season. The program's top angler took home $164,260 by turning in 16,150 fish. The payout and total catch are new program highs, besting the previous records of $119,341 and 14,109 set in 2016.

For the first time in its 34-year history, the Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Fishery closed early in 2024, ending Sept. 25. The closure came after BPA's $1.7 million reward fund was met ahead of the Sept. 30 end date. BPA funds the Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Fishery to partially mitigate for the impact of the Federal Columbia River Hydroelectric System on salmon and steelhead.

Results indicate that the Pikeminnow Program has been successful, with over 5.2 million predatory Northern Pikeminnow removed to date by anglers participating in the Sport-Reward Fishery, and a decrease of predation on juvenile salmonids of up to 40 percent from pre-program levels. For full information on the Pikeminnow Program, including rules and regulations, season dates, station times, and fishing tips, please visit www.pikeminnow.org.